Rub apron for use on textile machines



May 15, 1951 E. L. HOWELL RUB APRON FOR USE ON TEXTILE MACHINES Filed Oct. 15, 1947 INVENTOR EMORY L. HOWEL 1., #1

WgW

ATTORNEYS Patented May 15, 1951 RUB APRON FOR USE ON TEXTILE MACHINES Emory L. Howell, Greenville, S. C., assignor to The Dayton Rubber Company, Dayton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application October 13, 1947, Serial No. 779,567

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved apron for use in the condensing mechanism of carding machines for rolling and condensing slivers or rovings preparatory to spinning them into yarns.

These aprons comprise short endless bands that run over parallel rolls and are arranged to present opposed flat stretches between which the slivers or rovings are fed. The rolls are rotated and at the same time simultaneously reciprocated so that the rovings are subjected simultaneously to a lengthwise movement and to a transverse rolling movement.

For many years prior to the present invention, rubbing aprons having a row of rivets or buttons arranged longitudinally adjacent each end of the apron, have been used on textile machines. The buttons or rivets are provided for the purpose of retaining the rubbing apron on the roll, the rivets or buttons engaging the ends of the roll to prevent shifting of the aprons axially on the rolls. These buttons or rivets have not been entirely satisfactory for the reason that they are torn out of the rubbing apron upon engagement with the end of the driving roll with the result that the rubbing apron must be discarded. Further, the buttons or rivets are susceptible of picking up lint and do not make for a clean running of the apron.

It is therefor, an object of this invention to provide a structure for a textile machine wherein the buttons can be eliminatedfrom the rubbing apron and yet suitable means are provided for controlling the axial shifting of the rubbing apron on the driving rolls without causing any major alteration of a standard textile machine or the driving rolls for the rubbing aprons.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a guide member for placement on the driving rolls for the rubbing aprons which is sufficiently resilient to frictionally secure itself to the driving rolls and provide a guide to engage the edge of a rubbing apron carried on the driving rolls to control the extent of axial shifting of the rubbing apron on the driving rolls.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a rubbing apron having a rubber-like surface on the underside of the apron to engage the driving rolls to increase the frictional engagement of the apron on the driving rolls and thereby substantially eliminate all axial shifting of the aprons on the driving rolls as the result of the longitudinal reciprocation of the driving rolls.

These and other objects of this invention will be understood and appreciated from the following description and the drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective elevational view of the organization of the condensing mechanism of a carding machine illustrating the use of rubbing aprons.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken along line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure i is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion or a rubbing apron.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, individual rubbing aprons l l and l 2 are each positioned over a pair of horizontally disposed rolls which are spaced apart so that the aprons present opposed flat stretches that just clear each other. The apron H passes over the rolls l3 and [3a While the apron l2 passes over the rolls l4 and Ma shown in Figure 2. The rolls I3, lfia, M and Ma are rotated and simultaneously reciprocated endwise or axially on their respective shafts to impart an advancing movement and a transverse rolling movement and condensing effect to the loosely formed rovings it. As is well known in rubbing operations of this type, the shafts and rolls driving the upper and lower aprons reciprocate laterally in opposite directions to achieve the desired rubbing and condensing effect. In other words, as the upper aprons reciprocate in one direction, the lower aprons reciprocate in the opposite direction; at the same time the aprons are rotating and conveying the fibers.

As shown in Figure l a plurality of sets A and B of aprons may be employed to gradually condense the rovings in their passage between the aprons, the condensed rovings being finally wound upon a jack spool V5. The function of the rub aprons to condense the rovings or slivers is well known in the art and further description of this process is not deemed necessary.

It has been the conventional practice for many years in the textile industry to provide the rub aprons I l and 2 with rivets or buttons disposed adjacent each edge of the aprons for the purpose of guiding the apron over the driving rolls and preventing more than a limited endwise movement of the aprons on the drive rolls. The drive rolls have previously been provided with a reduced diameter portion adjacent each end of the aprons that are carried upon them for the purpose of allowing the rivets or buttons to pass freely around the drive rolls, the buttons or rivets being adapted to engage the opposite ends of the drive rolls in the event the apron shifted endwise upon the rolls.

Many efforts have been made to strengthen the edges of the aprons to receive the rivets or buttons to reduce the occurrence of having the buttons torn out of the aprons when they engage the end of the driving rolls.

Also, it has been a common practice in the textile industry to use rub aprons that have a fabric base portion that engages the drive rolls the upper or outer or working surface of the aprons being coated with a rubber ;or rubbe rlike material to provide suitable friction to the rovings to advance them between the aprons and rolls. Further, the aprons are provided with a rubberor rubber-like roll. engaging surface to substantially eliminate endwise shifting of the aprons on the drive rolls. I a In Figure 4 there is illustrated an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a rub apron that incorporates the improvements of this invention. The rub apron ll preferably consists of a plurality of fabric layers I! that are wound in a suitable mannerupon a mandrel. These fabric layers may be placed upon the mandrel upon one another alternately in opposite winding directions to substantially eliminate undesirable stresses which might occur in the layers of fabric should they all be wound in the same direction. Further, reinforcing cords l8 may be provided upon the fiber layers ll, these cords being of amaterial which will not stretch appreciably, such as cotton or nylon. The cord may be wound upon the fiber layers by starting from the center of the apron and progressing upwardly towards both edges, thereby balancing the stresses that might be developed in winding the cords upon the fabric face. The purpose of the arrangement of the fabric layers and the winding of the cord is toprevent the development of any unbalanced internal stress in the apron so as to make it run more uniformly and straight without shifting upon the drive rolls wheninuse, H v A rubber or rubber-like layer I9 of material is placed upon the upper side of the fabric and cord base of the apron and a similar layer 29 of material is placed beneath the fabric base, the layer 20 becoming the roll engaging surface of the apron.

The apron is suitably vulcanized and thereafter finished ground to size. The apron just described is placed over the drive rolls l3 and Ba, as for example, an enlargement of which is illustrated in Figure 3. The drive rolls l3 and Kid, drive roll 13 being illustrated in Figure 3, are provided with the driving roll portion 30 and a reduced diameter extending shaft portion 3i. The apron II has the end 2| thereof extending beyond the shoulder 32 of the drive roll it in the same manner as in previous conventional practice when guide buttons or rivets were placed in the edges of the apron to prevent them from endwise movement on the drive roll l3 upon engagement with the shoulder 32. The width of the rub aprons and the conventional construction of the drive rolls are thereforefnot no machine changes in the textile machines 4 themselves when applying this invention to any standard textile machine.

Since the aprons II and I2 of this invention do not have any guide buttons or rivets by which their endwise movement can be prevented, it is essential that other means he provided for this purpose. In this invention a guide collar M! is used for this purpose. A guide collar M) is provided on each end of each of the drive rolls for the aprons, as illustrated in Figure 1.

Each of the guide collars consists of a hub portion 4 provided with a radial fiange portion 42 on one end thereof. The outer periphery 43 of the hub portion 4i and the radial face 44 on the radial flange 42 are substantially normal to .each other. The, hub portion 4| is provided with an axial bore 45 which fits over the reduced diameter portion 3i of the drive roll [3.

When the guide collar All is placed upon the shaft extension 3!, it isdisposed with the radial face 44 adjacent the edge M of the apron l5. Thus, the'apron will be prevented from endwise movement on the drive rolls by the guide collar 40 disposed on each'end of the drive rolls. As shown in Fig. 3 the width of radial face 4 may be slightly greater than the thickness of the apron, hence the diameter of the radial fian'g'e'is slightly greater than the diameter of the roll plus twice the thicknessof the apro'n. The peripheral diameter of the hub portion ii is slightly less than the diameter of the drive roll 3!] to avoid engagement of the apron I l upon the guide collar All. The guide collar 4!! is prefwill not be damaged readily in any manner. Also, i

the edges of the aprons will run cleaner since there will be'no projections to pick up lint.

It will be understodd'that'the specific construction herein described, is for illustrative purposes only and that va'rio'usdepartures may be made from this structure within the scope of this invention, for example, the'guide collars may be made of 'a rigid material instead of a resilient rubber or rubber-like material and be provided with a resilient rubber insert to allow them to frictionally engage the shaft extension when placed upon thes'ame, and the rub apron may have a different fabric cordconstruction than that described herein, the principal feature here being the use of a rubber or rubber-like surface for engaging the drive rolls.

It will be also understood that the term rubbe; or rubber-likefis used herein broadly to include 'not only rubberbut artificial and synthetic rubber or rubber-like materials, for example, in particular, :chloroprenerubber, butadiene or copolymers rubbers. These materials and others of equivalent composition are oil resistant and will not rub off to cause difiiculties in the handling of textile materials. i 1

Having thus fully'de'scribed my invention, what I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: t I

1.jA machine 'unit 'for working textile fibers including in combination; a pair of parallel driving rolls, said rolls having reduced diameter shaft extensions, an apron of uniform thickness throughout disposed on said rolls and having the end edges thereof extending beyond the shoulder formed by the reduced diameter shaft extension on said rolls, and a guide collar positioned on each end of said rolls on said shaft extensions to restrict endwise shifting of said apron on said rolls, said guide collars each consisting of a hub portion extending beneath the extending edges of said apron and having a radial flange thereon disposed adjacent the edges of said apron.

2. A machine unit for Working textile fibers including in combination; a pair of parallel driving rolls, said rolls having reduced diameter shaft extensions, an apron of uniform thickness throughout disposed on said rolls and having the end edges thereof extending beyond the shoulder formed by the reduced diameter shaft extension on said rolls, and a guide collar positioned on each end of said rolls on said shaft extensions to restrict endwise shifting of said apron on said rolls, said guide collars each consisting of a hub portion extending beneath the extending edges of said apron and having a radial flange thereon disposed adjacent the edges of said apron, said flange having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the roll upon which said guide collar is positioned plus twice the thickness of said apron.

3. A machine unit for working textile fibers including in combination; a pair of parallel driving rolls, said rolls having reduced diameter shaft extensions, an apron of uniform thickness throughout disposed on said rolls and having the end edges thereof extending beyond the shoul-' der formed by the reduced diameter shaft extension on said rolls, and a guide collar positioned on each end of said rolls on said shaft extensions to restrict endwise shifting of said apron on said rolls, said guide collars each consisting of a hub portion extending beneath the extending edges of said apron and having a radial flange thereon disposed adjacent the edges of said apron, said flange having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the roll upon which said guide collar is positioned plus twice the thickness of said apron, said hub portion having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the said roll.

EMORY L. HOWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,884,251 Robbins Oct. 25, 1932 2,135,057 Slayter et a1 Nov. 1, 1938 2,179,078 Allwood Nov. 7, 1939 2,233,985 Knowland Mar. 4, 1941 2,290,678 Dodge July 21, 1942 2,357,243 Walker Aug. 29, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 104,290 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1917 

